Whitehall’s lead at the end of the first and second quarters slowly dissolved when East Stroudsburg South increased the intensity in the second half, capturing a 36-31 Cavalier victory on Tuesday night at Whitehall.

The Zephyrs took early control, highlighted by Zephyr guard MJ Dunbar’s 10 first-quarter points, including a 3-pointer.

A scoring drought hit both teams in the second quarter until the 2:35 mark when Jade Alvarez scored for the Zephs, followed by buckets from East Stroudsburg South’s Layla Hernandez and Whitehall’s Bella Fonzone.

Whitehall had the upper hand at the half, 16-13, but South stormed back to a seven-point lead.

“There were things we could have done better earlier in the game so we weren’t down as much and fighting. We did a nice job coming back when we were down seven. The kids never gave up, they never quit. They hustled. We just needed to be more consistent with the shots,” said Whitehall coach Will Robertson. “They made three shots in a row, three offensive possessions in a row, and we did not. We didn’t answer that. We executed, but the ball just didn’t go in the basket.”

Nya Brown drained a 3-pointer for Whitehall with 2:36 left on the clock, and Alvarez’s basket brought the Zephyrs within two points at the 1:44 mark.

Whitehall was awarded possession in the last 14 seconds on a ball that went out of bounds, but the call was overturned, and an eventual foul was committed on Hernandez, who sank two free throws.

“Looking at where we’re at right now, we’re not out of it, and I told the kids in the locker room, there’s only one thing we can do and move forward. The game happened, and it’s over,” said Robertson. “We have two more games this week, and these kids have another opportunity to play, so we can’t dwell on the past. We don’t carry a lot of baggage, and that’s the only attitude you can have to move forward.”